Nantsuttei Review: Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen At $10.80++ At Orchard

With our tummies growling after all the walking, we found ourselves entering a small Japanese restaurant with only a handful of high chairs, Japanese murals, and bamboo windows. Ever since that meal, I’ve developed a soft spot for the simple combination of cha shu and ramen.

Nantsuttei - Black Garlic Tonkotsu Ramen At $10.80++ Food at Nantsuttei We ordered their signature Nantsuttei Ramen ($10.80++) , and within 10 minutes, a bowl of piping hot ramen arrived at our table. The dish had a large piece of cha shu, which was sitting atop ramen noodles swimming in their house-made broth.

The entire dish was topped off with a generous amount of bean sprouts and a handful of spring onions. The broth was made from simmering pork bones, chicken bones, pork bone marrow, and plenty of garlic, for three hours every day.

The intense broth is then topped off with an element that makes this bowl of ramen stand out – black garlic oil. The combination of the oil and broth brought the whole flavour of the dish up a notch. If you prefer a light bowl of ramen, even so, this might be too heavy for you.

Going to I was, chef first parboils the meat, then marinates it with their special sauce imported from Japan. Then, the meat is simmered in a special sauce for over an hour to achieve a tender texture.

This allows the savour to be intensified, and chilled pork is also easier to slice. The melt-in-your-mouth cha shu had a nice ratio of meat to fat, and a good balance of sweetness and saltiness – just like how a good piece of cha shu should be. The al dente noodles were soaked in the same broth, and topped with six pieces of delicately arranged cha shu, and a mountain of julienned spring onions.

Going to The spring onions, a nice touch to the bowl of heavy ramen, as it provided a contrast in texture, and freshness to cut through the salty broth. Overall, this dish tasted similar to the Nantsuttei Ramen.

The last bowl of ramen we got was Dragon Ramen ($13.80++) . Before ordering, the chef cautioned us that this bowl of ramen is not for the faint-hearted.

Using the same broth, this dish was finished with their house-made spicy sauce and a sprinkle of spring onions. As well, if you have a preference as to how you like your noodles to be done, you can tell a staff member and they’d gladly convey it to the chef. All in all, if I were to ever come back, it’s because of the tasty broth and tender cha shu.